Fredericksburg.com - Boy, 11, charged in dog's shooting

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Boy, 11, charged in dog's shooting
Boy shoots neighbor's dog with a stolen gun
Date published: 1/29/2010

BY KEITH EPPS

An 11-year-old Spotsylvania boy shot his neighbor's dog this week with a gun he stole from another neighbor, police said.

Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Liz Scott said the boy told police that he shot the dog because it was barking too much.

Scott said the incident occurred Monday afternoon in the area of Mullins Court.

Mullins Court is a private dirt road off Spotswood Furnace Road, about two miles from Riverbend High School. There are only two homes on the road.

The dog's owner reported that about 3 p.m., he heard his dog barking, heard a shot and then heard his dog whimpering.

The owner went outside and found the dog, a German shepherd mix named Molly, lying on the front porch. She had been shot through the neck.

The dog was taken to St. Francis Animal Hospital, where it was treated and released. The dog is now recovering at home with non-life-threatening injuries.

Deputy Chuck Carey and animal control officers responded to the area and were eventually contacted by a woman who had found a .22-caliber long rifle with a scope that didn't belong to her family.

She said her son had admitted stealing it from a neighbor's garage and had used it to shoot the dog.

Scott said she wasn't sure when the gun was stolen, but it was taken before Monday. The owner, who lives on another street, knew the gun was missing but had not yet reported it, Scott said.

It was not clear exactly where the dog was when it was shot or how far away the shooter was. The boy's home is about 100 yards from the dog owner's home.

The boy was charged with larceny of a firearm, illegal possession of a rifle by a person under 18, reckless handling of a firearm and cruelty to animals. He was placed in the Rappahannock Juvenile Detention Center.

Commonwealth's Attorney Bill Neely said it is rare for county children that young to be arrested and incarcerated, but he said officials are very concerned about the alleged behavior.

The boy will receive psychiatric testing, Neely said.

Keith Epps: 540/374-5404
Email: kepps@freelancestar.com



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Date published: 1/29/2010



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response to fugyou (posted by localgal , Jan. 31, 2010 8:28 am)    0 likes
You should be ashamed of yourself to post such comments. Walk a mile in someone's shoes before you judge them. You have NO IDEA what it is like for a parent of a child with behavioral problems to get help for their child. You make assumptions about a childs homelife that are absolutely wrong and small minded. I pray that you never have to deal with such sadness in your life but if you did you might not be so quick to judge.

momto3 (posted by Nya_nyas , Jan. 30, 2010 11:28 pm)    0 likes
Why would you even say this kid will probably be murdered one day? Are you sick? Seriously, what the kid did was in every way wrong but how does that make him a future murder victim? Did it ever occur to you his family might read your post? How inconsiderate...

They put an 11 year old punk (posted by Guderian , Jan. 29, 2010 4:20 pm)    0 likes
in Juve with the really bad teenagers..hmm. Perhaps he should plead temporary insanity. Some dog owners leave their dogs out when they go to work, and the xxxyyyzzz dogs bark all day. I must admit, I have had dark thoughts..fortunately I have not acted on them. Disclaimer: I have not and will not condone harm to any human or animal for any reason. Except 1.

agreed, this kid will most likely (posted by momto3 , Jan. 29, 2010 4:01 pm)    0 likes
grow up to be a murdered one day. very high high probability.

I agree with you firebird, but the owner (posted by sahmom , Jan. 29, 2010 2:38 pm)    0 likes
was negligent if what the paper says is true. If he knew his gun was stolen, he should've immediately reported it. I'm not saying that this would have changed things, but the pieces of the puzzle may have been put together faster. I'm glad the mom was truthful with police instead of hiding him. It's unfortunate for everyone. I guess having a gun is like a swimming pool, you should make sure they're inaccessible, but you still have a right to own them.

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